Fun, Reliable, & Affordable Cars You Should Buy (2026 Best Daily Drivers List)

[00:05] - I believe with my whole

[00:10] most tasteful raddest stuff is not

[00:14] acquired with a bunch of money.

[00:15] The coolest clothes thrifted,

[00:18] that your friends haven't heard of yet.

[00:20] Restaurants are cooler before

[00:23] and cool neighborhoods are cheaper

[00:26] and cooler when they're

[00:28] around the edges, when the

[00:31] to let their kids live there.

[00:33] Now, I'm not saying

[00:34] that once something gets

[00:37] I love a lot of very popular stuff,

[00:39] but it does become a little less special

[00:43] and oftentimes a lot more

[00:47] same way, but you can bypass a lack

[00:51] of funds if you know

[00:53] Now, I'm not saying that

[00:55] is a future classic.

[00:56] In fact, most of them

[00:59] to be worth a bunch of money ever.

[01:02] What I am saying is

[01:03] that every car in this

[01:06] They're all fun to drive, most

[01:08] of them get pretty good gas mileage

[01:10] and every single one has a

[01:16] a special, something that

[01:20] and fun to talk about.

[01:21] They're fun to drive now.

[01:23] And who knows, maybe some

[01:24] of these uncut gems will

[01:26] And if that happens, you'll

[01:29] that you bought yours in 2026

[01:34] Starting with Mercedes ML SUV,

[01:39] this car makes me want

[01:41] and a pair of butters.

[01:42] Yd luxury SUVs from the late nineties

[01:45] and early two thousands are the best bang

[01:48] for your buck value in the

[01:51] Woke me on that.

[01:52] Back in the day, luxury

[01:55] that this new SUV market

[01:59] but they had never sold one.

[02:00] So they didn't have any

[02:02] what people were gonna use them for.

[02:03] Did they want comfort skis, road manners,

[02:07] or off-road capability?

[02:08] They had no idea. So these

[02:13] Audi and Porsche are kind

[02:18] We bought a first generation cayenne

[02:19] and did a video throwing

[02:22] to highlight and take advantage

[02:23] of its off-road capabilities.

[02:25] And let me tell you that thing

[02:30] that Zach gets to drive it every day.

[02:32] And since we made that video,

[02:35] for something with similar

[02:39] because I think it would

[02:43] and I drove the exact same car

[02:45] and first generation

[02:50] This thing's got a ton of stuff

[02:52] that makes the Cayenne so great.

[02:53] You can get it with a V six,

[02:56] They look amazing

[02:57] and I don't think that

[03:00] They have great interiors

[03:01] and if you find one with the

[03:04] with real locking differentials

[03:06] and a two speed transfer case

[03:11] it could climb up lots of stuff.

[03:13] The early ones are even

[03:16] It's a actual truck with a Mercedes badge.

[03:20] It's literally a budget G wagon.

[03:22] If I were to get one, which

[03:26] and find a nice ML 500

[03:28] because I think it would

[03:30] money to have the V eight.

[03:32] It's literally the same engine

[03:35] The biggest difference

[03:38] for less than $10,000 every

[03:41] Cayennes are an amazing bargain.

[03:45] MLS are even more of a hack

[03:47] because way less people

[03:50] Now, if I didn't want to go off road

[03:51] and I just wanted a really nice

[03:55] I would try and find an ML 50 5:00 AM G.

[03:59] Now, these rarely ever came

[04:02] They might not be

[04:04] but they more than make up for it

[04:06] 'cause they got big fender flares

[04:08] and 350 horsepower you

[04:12] first generation Toyota Matrix XS

[04:16] slash Pontiac Vibe gt.

[04:19] There are gonna be

[04:22] who are absolutely

[04:27] to include a Toyota Matrix in this video.

[04:30] Hi guys. Toyota has a long history

[04:33] of taking normal commuter cars

[04:35] and making cool versions of them Corolla,

[04:38] G-T-S-G-R-R-S.

[04:41] But there is a weird shaped

[04:45] thousands that a lot

[04:48] of the Toyota Matrix XRS,

[04:52] which apparently means

[04:56] with an X, like a sour

[05:01] The Toyota Matrix XRS is

[05:06] practical hatchback thing

[05:09] and saying, what if we

[05:13] Now the first generation

[05:15] because it has the two ZZ GE engine,

[05:20] an aluminum block, dual

[05:24] with 16 valves

[05:25] and Toyota's V-V-T-L-I system,

[05:28] which basically gives

[05:31] aggressive CAM profile.

[05:33] When you rev it out, it's like VTECH ish.

[05:36] The result about 180

[05:40] which might not sound huge today,

[05:43] but if we're honest with

[05:46] to have fun, especially when

[05:50] 8,000 RPM.

[05:51] It is a tiny high revving motor

[05:54] that absolutely loves living

[05:59] It's like, Hey, little tiny high revving

[06:01] motor, where do you wanna live?

[06:03] I'm probably just gonna

[06:05] top of the tack.

[06:06] So that's where I've lived for years.

[06:08] We're just, we just really

[06:12] and the two ZZGE is the same engine

[06:15] that Lotus used in the Elise

[06:18] and the xi, which should

[06:21] about how good it is.

[06:22] Toyota did not just stop at the engine.

[06:24] They gave the XRS or is it pronounced.

[06:27] They gave the XRS stiffer springs dampers,

[06:30] thicker sway bars, 17 inch

[06:34] a helical limited slip differential,

[06:37] and a six speed transmission.

[06:39] Even the steering got the sporty treatment

[06:41] with firmer assist and quicker response.

[06:44] The steering in the XRS is heavier

[06:46] and more direct than a base matrix.

[06:49] I always thought that the

[06:52] car with a very cool name.

[06:54] All I knew is that they

[06:56] so you could like use a

[07:00] They are very cool and

[07:03] There's a few of them on

[07:06] A lot of 'em are like $5,000

[07:09] and one of 'em is $1,500,

[07:12] but the owner says that

[07:16] So yeah,

[07:21] and if you're watching this,

[07:22] but you're saying, you know what?

[07:24] I like this car, but I wish

[07:27] Aztec. You are in luck

[07:29] because the Pontiac Vibe

[07:33] with slightly different body

[07:39] final Gen Lancer rally art.

[07:42] You want an EVO but don't have EVO money.

[07:44] You want an evo, but don't want to deal

[07:46] with the negative social

[07:48] or may not come with having one.

[07:50] You want an EVO but don't

[07:53] and have your fillings

[07:56] Well, do I have a car for you?

[07:59] The final generation

[08:04] was essentially a middle ground

[08:09] poo boring and the full

[08:13] Cool, but very popular and

[08:16] therefore expensive.

[08:19] The Lancer rally art has a

[08:22] and technology as the evo,

[08:24] but in a slightly toned down,

[08:29] Under the hood is a de-tuned version

[08:32] of Mitsubishi's Turbocharged

[08:36] four, the same basic

[08:40] evolution 10.

[08:42] This hog makes about 237 Hearst PERS

[08:45] and 253 pound feet of twerks.

[08:48] It puts that power to the ground

[08:49] through a simplified version

[08:52] of the advanced all wheel

[08:57] It's got everything except

[08:59] but what it does have is an

[09:03] with different driving modes

[09:06] between the front and rear

[09:09] and handling in different conditions.

[09:11] What kind of conditions

[09:14] what are these modes called?

[09:16] Tarmac gravel snow.

[09:19] Those are places that you do

[09:23] Hence the name Rally Art.

[09:26] It's got stiffer springs

[09:29] bigger brakes than a standard lancer.

[09:31] And it's also got some lips

[09:34] and stuff.

[09:36] The one downside is that it is DCT only.

[09:41] You cannot get it with

[09:45] I know, I know paddle

[09:49] which I know is a bummer.

[09:51] But honestly, for some situations,

[09:54] automatics are totally acceptable.

[09:57] And dare I say preferred,

[10:00] to drive to work with

[10:05] and you want to give your left

[10:08] traffic, this car is cool.

[10:11] It's practical and it's cheap

[10:13] because it is wildly underrated.

[10:18] Again, part of being cool

[10:22] that you think things are cool

[10:24] that other people might not be

[10:30] Have you been curious

[10:33] but don't wanna make it

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[11:44] Now I gotta go finish cleaning

[11:55] Acura TL type SI like these cars

[12:00] so much that my stepdad had

[12:04] I think these are so good looking,

[12:07] just a nice classy luxury

[12:12] tail end of the golden age of Honda.

[12:16] The Type S was the

[12:20] and it's powered by the J 35, A eight,

[12:23] 3.5 liter B six, a stout,

[12:27] extremely simple aluminum

[12:33] with vtech that produced

[12:37] and 256 pound feet of twerks.

[12:40] A noticeable jump over the

[12:45] which is nice

[12:46] because a lot of times car

[12:50] and crap to the back of a car's name

[12:52] and it doesn't add any power,

[12:55] but this one adds kind of a lot.

[12:58] Hey, so what do all the letters

[12:59] on the back of your car mean?

[13:00] It means basically they glued a bunch

[13:02] of plastic and stuff all over it.

[13:06] Is that it? The thread on the seats

[13:09] is a different color dew.

[13:13] That power went through the front wheels

[13:15] through either a five speed

[13:19] which we've established are fine.

[13:21] Or a close ratio

[13:24] six speed manual.

[13:26] And the manual version included

[13:31] to manage torque and improve

[13:35] It's a Honda and

[13:36] because it's a Honda,

[13:37] it's got double wishbone front suspension

[13:40] and multilink in the rear and

[13:44] This little boy could go from zero to 60

[13:47] and a little over six seconds

[13:50] of the mix with a lot of Mercedes BMWs

[13:52] and Audis of that era.

[13:54] But what makes the TL better

[13:58] that performance with

[14:02] The J series V six is famously durable

[14:06] and it's known for being capable

[14:08] of going well over 200,000

[14:12] because it's simple

[14:14] and it's got strong internals

[14:22] - Hi guys. Can they see?

[14:27] - Simple, but he's got strong internals.

[14:31] - You - Need any help? No,

[14:34] - Just let me know.

[14:36] I'll be right here.

[14:39] - Thanks pal. Heart of gold. That one.

[14:44] These things look really

[14:47] The interiors are nice.

[14:50] These are cool.

[14:53] Anything with a three liter

[14:58] Audi A five, Audi A six,

[15:00] Audi A seven, Audi A eight.

[15:03] Audi Q five, Audi Q seven,

[15:08] all Road Volkswagen Toric,

[15:11] cayenne Diesel, Porsche, Panama Diesel.

[15:14] What do they all have in common?

[15:17] All these cars became an

[15:21] largely because of a little

[15:26] The three liter V six TDI

[15:29] of cars throughout the Volkswagen,

[15:32] and was found to have software

[15:35] that altered emissions behavior

[15:38] during testing ums.

[15:41] After the scandal broke, Volkswagen

[15:43] and Audi were forced to buy back

[15:45] or modify thousands

[15:48] of diesel vehicles in the

[15:53] Porsches Audis

[15:54] and Volkswagens from this time

[15:57] that you see on the market

[16:00] by the manufacturer, repaired

[16:02] with updated emissions

[16:05] and then resold with extended warranties.

[16:08] Now that situation created a bit

[16:11] of a hidden value in the used market.

[16:13] These are high-end luxury

[16:16] They look awesome.

[16:18] They have all wheel drive

[16:19] and a three liter turbo

[16:22] around 240 horsepower

[16:24] and 428 pound feet of turf.

[16:28] They pull like a tugboat

[16:30] and they get 30 to 40 miles per gallon.

[16:33] And because of the

[16:36] resale values are in the toilet,

[16:40] which is why today you can

[16:45] minute fraction of the original price.

[16:48] They're really well engineered.

[16:50] A lot of people don't know

[16:52] what year they're from,

[16:54] And the Dieselgate thing

[17:01] Yeah, buddy I like means a diesel

[17:08] Altima SER.

[17:09] Now based on my personal experience,

[17:12] Nissan Altimas are the

[17:16] on the planet.

[17:18] I have often been driving

[17:20] went out of nowhere.

[17:22] A Nissan Altima passes me

[17:26] over 200 miles per hour

[17:29] with a foot hanging out of the window.

[17:31] Well, the Nissan Altima SER is the fastest

[17:36] version of the fastest

[17:41] It follows the same theme

[17:43] as the other hopped up commuter cars.

[17:45] In this video, bigger

[17:48] more powerful engine.

[17:50] In this case, it is the VQ

[17:52] 35 de basically the same engine from the

[17:56] three 50 Z.

[17:57] The Ultima version makes 260 horsepower,

[18:00] which is 20 less than the Z.

[18:02] And while the Z is rear

[18:05] for the Ultima goes through

[18:08] of a six P transmission

[18:09] with a helical limited slip differential.

[18:12] This is a very cool under the

[18:17] for a great price.

[18:19] This might be the best car on the list.

[18:21] I said that like other than a concert.

[18:24] This next one, this next one

[18:28] is the best car on this

[18:32] the E 90 BMW three 30.

[18:40] The E 90 BMW three 30.

[18:42] I was only made for one year

[18:47] in 2006.

[18:50] I said at the beginning of this video

[18:51] that I don't think a lot

[18:53] of these cars are ever gonna

[18:57] This is not one of those, one

[18:59] of the most iconic things

[19:02] naturally aspirated BMW straight six.

[19:05] And this is sort of

[19:07] It sits at a very interesting

[19:11] before Turbocharging took over.

[19:13] Earthing under the hood

[19:18] naturally aspirated in line six.

[19:21] An aluminum magnesium blocked

[19:26] variable valve timing and valve

[19:30] That's basically double vtech.

[19:33] It makes about 255 horsepower

[19:37] And just like basically

[19:42] it's an awesome engine.

[19:44] It's smooth, it loves to rev.

[19:47] You can get it with a six P manual.

[19:48] The chassis is extremely balanced.

[19:51] McPherson struts up front

[19:55] And the result is the kind of balance

[19:57] that BMW is famous for.

[19:59] Neutral handling, sharp steering, a car

[20:02] that feels composed

[20:05] or on a back road.

[20:07] And one of the reasons that

[20:10] so well is because the NA N 52

[20:15] unlike the turbocharge

[20:18] The N 52 is relatively simple.

[20:20] It's got no turbos, it's got

[20:26] and it's got a reputation

[20:27] for lasting well over 200,000

[20:31] And overall, it's considered one

[20:32] of BMW's more durable modern engines.

[20:35] It's got some normal

[20:36] Water pumps, valve cupboard gaskets,

[20:38] oil filter housing

[20:41] of naturally aspirated in

[20:47] amazing E 90 chassis

[20:52] of the final BMWs like this.

[20:56] BMWs now are great too, but they're big

[20:59] and they're so fast.

[21:01] For a long time, BMWs weren't the fastest

[21:04] car in a straight line.

[21:05] They were light, they were

[21:08] and you could rev the hell

[21:12] And this is one of the last ones of those.

[21:15] So get 'em while you still can

[21:18] 'cause they only made 'em for a year.

[21:20] Before we get to the final

[21:22] that didn't quite make the list

[21:24] that I just gotta mention

[21:28] Volkswagen, any of 'em.

[21:29] Jetta Golf, GTIB five Passat Wagon,

[21:33] second Gen BZ slash

[21:35] FS Nissan three 70 Z Honda CR-v Mazda

[21:40] RX eight, Lexus Ellis 400 slash

[21:46] early Macon, Porsches.

[21:47] Now if you want to hear me

[21:50] and the boys talk about

[21:53] and maybe why they didn't

[21:56] you can check out our members

[21:59] of Speed podcast.

[22:00] For more information on

[22:03] The members only podcast

[22:07] and the other guys behind

[22:10] We really think without the

[22:14] down our necks.

[22:15] I bet you didn't see this one coming.

[22:18] I bet you didn't see this one coming.

[22:21] The BM BMW three 30 is probably

[22:24] This car is the most indie record store

[22:29] guy on this list.

[22:30] It's like, oh, you

[22:32] If you ever heard of of an

[22:38] the Oldsmobile achieve A SCX.

[22:42] The Oldsmobile achieve A

[22:46] of my favorite genre of automobile.

[22:49] The homologation special.

[22:53] Well, I'm glad you asked.

[22:55] - Back in the day, in order

[22:56] to compete in certain racing

[22:58] required to produce a

[23:02] of the cars that wanted to race.

[23:04] - Thanks pal. This gave

[23:09] three, the lancia Delta Integr Raleigh,

[23:11] and the old mobile

[23:14] achieve A SCX,

[23:16] which is basically a forgotten

[23:20] gm Integra type R.

[23:23] Don't laugh.

[23:24] Under the hood was the legendary

[23:29] one engine, a high revving

[23:33] that produced about 190 horsepower

[23:36] and 160 pound feet of twerks,

[23:40] for a naturally aspirated

[23:43] early nineties.

[23:45] What makes the SCX special

[23:48] It was built specifically

[23:49] to compete in showroom

[23:53] SCCA World Challenge.

[23:55] - Now we take a look at

[23:56] This is Dave Jolly out of California

[23:58] and his old achievement,

[23:59] - It had tuned suspension,

[24:04] It had aggressive gearing

[24:06] and distinctive body trim

[24:10] so everyone knows what

[24:13] The achievement platform

[24:17] Touring Card Championship

[24:22] I've watched the Oldsmobile

[24:24] You have to hand it to 'em.

[24:25] They've been winning a lot of

[24:28] It's also very rare.

[24:30] They only made about 1,650 of them total,

[24:34] and a handful of them were ultra

[24:39] that had no AC

[24:41] and an LSD deleting AC from a car

[24:44] and then selling it to you

[24:48] that normally just Porsche and BMW do.

[24:51] Oldsmobile today, the Achieve

[24:54] of GM's early nineties

[24:58] a lightweight front wheel drive coop

[25:01] with a high revving kind of

[25:05] Four cylinder engine manual transmission,

[25:09] genuine motor sport route

[25:11] that most people have

[25:14] or totally forgotten about, which means

[25:18] they don't know about it, which means

[25:21] you might be able to score one.

[25:23] Listen guys, I think

[25:27] to drive a cool car and

[25:30] and a lot of digging, I think

[25:35] A lot of these cars are not easy to find.

[25:38] A lot of them were limited

[25:42] specific trims, or even

[25:46] But now that you know about them,

[25:50] the real fun begins.

[25:52] This is the hobby, the search.

[25:55] It's time to constantly have

[25:58] computer, put feelers out

[26:02] of your friends know that you're looking

[26:04] for something specific

[26:05] and be ready to jump on it

[26:09] And if you find something super cool

[26:12] and super special, post it on Instagram

[26:15] and tag me at James Humphrey

[26:18] Or you can join our discord

[26:20] because guys, there are

[26:24] who like weird little stuff

[26:27] We've made a few curated carists kind

[26:30] of like this on this channel.

[26:31] So if there isn't anything in this video

[26:34] that really resonated with

[26:37] Let us know what other

[26:40] Me and the boys have incredible taste.

[26:42] We make videos about a bunch

[26:45] aesthetics activities.

[26:46] So go give some of those a watch

[26:48] and if you like them,

[26:53] All right. I love you.